Carolyn Seale, a resident of Cleveland, Tennessee, has worked with Denso Manufacturing in Athens as a manager since 2001. Carolyn Seale has studied productivity theory extensively, and uses Kaizen and standardized work in her work with Denso, a Tier 1 automotive supplier.
Standardized work can help maintain the improvements made by process changes implemented through approaches like Kaizen and Total Process Management. Under standardized work, business leadership establishes precise procedures for every individual's work in a process, and makes those procedures available to employees at their workstations.
Standardized work reduces variability in processes, making it easier for workers to cooperate with others. Unusual circumstances such as absences or illnesses present fewer difficulties under standardized work principles, as each individual who fills a particular role in a process should provide comparable, similar work.
Under standardized work, three elements are assessed: Takt time, which is how fast products must be produced to meet demand, the work sequence that leads to that production, and the inventory required to keep that process operating. While standardized work occurs under lean principles, companies should not slash inventory without cause. Process improvements should come first, and cutting inventory to necessary levels should follow from those improved processes.
Standardized work can help maintain the improvements made by process changes implemented through approaches like Kaizen and Total Process Management. Under standardized work, business leadership establishes precise procedures for every individual's work in a process, and makes those procedures available to employees at their workstations.
Standardized work reduces variability in processes, making it easier for workers to cooperate with others. Unusual circumstances such as absences or illnesses present fewer difficulties under standardized work principles, as each individual who fills a particular role in a process should provide comparable, similar work.
Under standardized work, three elements are assessed: Takt time, which is how fast products must be produced to meet demand, the work sequence that leads to that production, and the inventory required to keep that process operating. While standardized work occurs under lean principles, companies should not slash inventory without cause. Process improvements should come first, and cutting inventory to necessary levels should follow from those improved processes.
